YouTube adds fact-check function to prevent the spread of fake informationinformatie

A new feature from YouTube brings up a panel of verified information for searches for controversial topics. These ‘fact checks’, intended to prevent the spread of fake information, are first visible in India. Other countries will follow later.

When the user searches YouTube for information that runs an increased risk of being manipulated, a panel with a fact check appears above the first search result, a spokesperson told Buzzfeed, among others. The verified information comes from a number of verified fact-checking agencies that YouTube partners with.

An example that the video service itself cites is a hoax around the drug paracetamol. According to that fake news, certain tablets contain the Machupo mammarena virus; something that YouTube from now on immediately debunks by placing a fact check with a reliability score at the top.

At the moment, the new feature is only available to select users in India, which is one of the main countries for the video service with 250 million users, in English and Hindi languages. Of the six fact-checking agencies that YouTube uses in India, a few also work with Facebook.

The social platform mainly monitors fake news for the elections in India, which will take place in April and May. After India, YouTube wants to offer the fact-checking function in other parts of the world, but the timing is not yet known.